U.S. patent application number 11/811028 was filed with the patent office on 2008-12-11 for recycled bicycle tire foxing tape for footwear and method of making footwear.
This patent application is currently assigned to Deckers Outdoor Corporation. Invention is credited to John Earle, Leigh Meyer.
Application Number | 20080301886 11/811028 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40094484 |
Filed Date | 2008-12-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20080301886 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Earle; John ; et
al. |
December 11, 2008 |
Recycled bicycle tire foxing tape for footwear and method of making
footwear
Abstract
A method of manufacturing and article of footwear from a
reclaimed bicycle tire includes the steps of providing an article
of footwear having an upper attached to a sole, providing a worn
bicycle tire, cutting a strip from the tire, and attaching the
strip to at least a portion of a peripheral surface of the sole as
foxing tape.
Inventors: |
Earle; John; (Portland,
OR) ; Meyer; Leigh; (Ventura, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GREER, BURNS & CRAIN
300 S WACKER DR, 25TH FLOOR
CHICAGO
IL
60606
US
|
Assignee: |
Deckers Outdoor Corporation
|
Family ID: |
40094484 |
Appl. No.: |
11/811028 |
Filed: |
June 8, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
12/142F ;
36/84 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B 13/04 20130101;
A43B 13/28 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
12/142.F ;
36/84 |
International
Class: |
A43B 9/00 20060101
A43B009/00 |
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
providing an upper attached to a sole; providing a worn tire;
cutting a strip from said tire; and attaching said strip to at
least a portion of a peripheral surface of said sole as foxing
tape.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said tire comprises a tread
portion and a sidewall portion, wherein said cutting step comprises
cutting said strip from said tire to include at least a portion of
said tread portion.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said cutting step comprises
cutting said strip from said tire to include at least a portion of
said tread portion and said sidewall.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of grinding an
inner surface of said strip prior to attaching said strip to said
sole.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said attaching step comprises:
applying a primer to an inner surface of said strip; applying
cement to said upper and said sole; activating the primer and
cement with ultra-violet light; and applying said strip to said
upper and said sole to adhere it to the article of footwear.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein said tire is a reclaimed bicycle
tire.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of pressing
said strip against said sole and said upper.
8. An article of footwear comprising a sole having a peripheral
surface and foxing tape comprising a portion of a recycled tire
that is attached to said peripheral surface of said sole.
9. The article of footwear of claim 8 wherein said foxing tape
comprises a tread portion of said tire.
10. The article of footwear of claim 8 wherein said foxing tape
comprises a tread portion and a sidewall portion of said tire.
11. The article of footwear of claim 10 further comprising an upper
attached to said sole, wherein said tread portion generally
coextends with said peripheral surface of said sole and said
sidewall portion generally coextends with a lower portion of said
upper.
12. The article of footwear of claim 8 further comprising a
forefoot region and a heel region, wherein a first foxing tape
extends around said forefoot region and a second foxing tape
extends around said heel region.
13. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear comprising:
providing an upper attached to a sole; selecting a worn bicycle
tire; cleaning the tire; radially cutting a strip from the tire;
trimming the strip longitudinally to include at least a portion of
a tread portion of the tire; grinding an inner surface of the strip
to remove unwanted material and to roughen the inner surface; and
cementing the strip to at least a portion of a peripheral surface
of the footwear to cover said sole and a portion of said upper.
14. A method of recycling used bicycle tires for use in footwear,
comprising: obtaining a supply of worn or damaged bicycle tires,
selecting tires that have no splits or severe physical damage and
having a worn tread, cleaning the selected bicycle tires, cutting
the selected tires to form foxing tapes, and cementing the foxing
tapes onto articles of footwear.
15. A method as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the step
of grinding an inner surface of the foxing tape prior to the
cementing step to remove any inner textile casing or debris, and to
roughen the surface to improve bonding.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to footwear, and
particularly to an article of footwear having bicycle tire material
used as foxing tape, and a method of making same.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The conventional manufacture of footwear results in
significant amounts of synthetic waste products. Further, footwear
components, such as outsoles and foxing tape, are typically formed
of plastic and/or rubber materials. These materials are
conventionally made from limited or non-renewable resources, which
results in a negative environmental impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A method of manufacturing an article of footwear includes
the steps of providing an upper attached to a sole, providing a
tire, and cutting a strip from the tire. The method further
includes the step of attaching the strip to at least a portion of a
peripheral surface of the sole as foxing tape.
[0004] An article of footwear includes a sole having a peripheral
surface and foxing tape. The foxing tape comprises a portion of a
tire that is attached to the peripheral surface of the sole.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a lateral side of an
article of footwear of the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a bicycle tire;
[0007] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a strip of the
tire;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the strip of tire flattened;
[0009] FIG. 5 is a plan view of a strip of foxing tape;
[0010] FIG. 6 is an elevational view of a lateral side of an
alternate embodiment of footwear of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 7 is a plan view of an alternate strip of foxing tape;
and
[0012] FIG. 8 is a process flowchart of the method of making the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0013] Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, an article of
footwear 10 is constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the
invention. Specifically, the footwear 10 includes an upper 12, a
sole 14 and foxing tape 16 made from recycled bicycle tires.
Preferably, the sole 14 includes multiple layers, for example an
outsole 18, a midsole 20 and an insole layer (not shown).
[0014] The foxing tape 16 is attached to a portion of a peripheral
surface 22 of the sole 14 and generally extends from a lower edge
24 of the outsole 18, onto the upper 12, covering the sole and a
lower portion 26 of the upper. The foxing tape 16 is disposed on
the peripheral surface 22 at a heel region 28 and a forefoot region
30, however it is contemplated that the foxing tape 16 can extend
the full periphery of the footwear, or can be disposed at another
location on the article of footwear 10 suited for foxing. When
assembled, the foxing tape 16 provides a protective cover, wear
surface, and/or a decorative feature of the article of footwear
10.
[0015] The method for manufacturing the article of footwear 10 in
accordance with the invention includes obtaining a tire 32,
preferably a bicycle tire, and more preferably a used bicycle tire
(FIG. 8, step 1). Used bicycle tires can be obtained in bulk from
bicycle stores. Bicycle tires that have no splits or severe
physical damage in the material are selected for use as foxing
(FIG. 8, step 2). A tire 32 with a worn, low-relief tread is
preferred because it is easier to work with, requires less
processing, and is aesthetically desirable. Further, a tire 32 that
is pliable and has a smooth inside surface is preferred. The tire
32 is cleaned with water to remove any contaminants from the
surface (FIG. 8, step 3).
[0016] Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the tire 32 is generally circular
and has a generally "U"-shaped cross-section. A tire bead portion
33 of each sidewall 36 is cut off of the tire 32 (FIG. 8, step 4).
The tire 32 is also cut radially to form a strip 34 of tire 32 of a
predetermined length (FIG. 3, FIG. 8, step 5). It is contemplated
that the tire bead portion 33 can be cut off the tire 32 either
before or after forming the strip 34.
[0017] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, the strip 34 is flattened
(FIG. 8, step 6) and is cut longitudinally, either manually or with
automated machinery, to separate the sidewalls 36 from the tread
portion 38 (FIG. 8, step 9). The tread portion 38 is generally
straight and flat compared to the relatively rounded sidewalls 36,
which makes the tread portion easier to cut or otherwise
manipulate. In the preferred embodiment, the tread portion 38 forms
the foxing tape 16. Individual pieces of foxing tape 16 can be cut
to have desired length and width dimensions for application to the
article of footwear 10, for example by using a template or
reference lines (FIG. 5). In the preferred embodiment, the foxing
tape 16 is cut to have about a 3-cm width.
[0018] In assembling the foxing tape 16 to the article of footwear
10, the sole 14 is attached to the upper 12, by any conventional
means, such as by stitching or gluing them together. Subsequently,
the foxing tape 16 is attached to the sole 14 and the upper 12 as
described below.
[0019] The inner surface 40 of the foxing tape is ground to remove
any inner textile casing or other unwanted debris, and to roughen
the inner surface of the tire to improve bonding to the sole 14 and
the upper 12 (FIG. 8, step 8). Preferably, a conventional high
speed wheel grinder is used to grind the inner surface 40.
Preferably, the cleaning and roughening processes occur after
cutting the foxing tape 16 to the desired length and width
dimensions, however, the cleaning and roughening steps can also
occur before cutting the foxing tape. Alternately, the surface of
the upper 12 and/or the inner surface 40 of the foxing tape 16 can
be chemically treated, heat treated or otherwise modified so that
the surface characteristics of the upper and/or the foxing tape can
provide the desired bonding between the materials.
[0020] A primer, such as a conventional solvent based primer, is
applied to the inner surface 40 of the foxing tape 16 (FIG. 8, step
9). Cement is applied to the lower portion 26 of the upper 12 and
the peripheral surface 22 of the sole 14 (FIG. 8, step 10). The
primer and the solvent can be applied by an automated device or
manually, such as with a sponge or a brush. Then, ultra-violet
light or heat is applied to the inner surface 40 of the foxing tape
16 and the upper 12 and the sole 14 to activate the primer and
cement (FIG. 8, step 11). Alternatively, and more preferably,
non-toxic water based adhesive systems can be used.
[0021] After the ultra-violet light treatment, the pre-cut piece or
strip 34 of foxing tape 16 is positioned around the peripheral
surface 22 of the sole 14 so that an inner surface 40 (see FIG. 3)
of the foxing tape 16 contacts the sole. The foxing tape 16 is
pressed against the upper 12 and the sole 14 to adhere it to the
article of footwear 10 (FIG. 8, step 12). It is contemplated that
the application of the foxing tape 16 can be done mechanically or
manually. Preferably, a roller is used to press the foxing tape 16
against the article of footwear 10.
[0022] After the foxing tape 16 is attached to the article of
footwear 10, any portions protruding from the sole 14 can be
trimmed so that a bottom edge 42 of the foxing tape is flush with
the lower surface 24 of the outsole 18 (FIG. 8, step 13).
[0023] The article of footwear 10 with applied foxing tape 16 is
then preferably placed into a pressing mold where the foxing tape
is uniformly pressed against the upper 12 and the sole 14 (FIG. 8,
step 14). Preferably after pressing it in the pressing mold, heat
is applied to the article of footwear 10 in a heat tunnel to cure
the cement (FIG. 8, step 15).
[0024] Surface blemishes or burrs on the foxing tape 16 are buffed
smooth (FIG. 8, step 16), and any excess cement and/or primer are
cleaned off of the article of footwear 10 (FIG. 8, step 17). Water
is used to wash the sole 14 and the foxing tape 16.
[0025] Other components can be added to the article of footwear 10
before, during or more preferably after the foxing tape 16 is
attached to the article of footwear. For example, a sockliner and
laces can be inserted into the article of footwear after the foxing
tape 16 is attached (FIG. 8, step 18).
[0026] In an alternate embodiment of an article of footwear 110
shown in FIG. 6, the foxing tape 116 includes a tread portion 138
and a portion of the bicycle tire sidewall 136. Referring to FIGS.
6 and 7, the tire is cut to separate an upper portion of the
sidewalls from a lower portion of the sidewalls 136 and the tread
portion 138. The remaining lower portion of the sidewalls 136 and
the tread portion 138 together form the foxing tape 116. In the
preferred embodiment, the foxing tape 116 is cut to have a 3-cm
width, with the tread portion 138 being about 2-cm in width and the
lower portion of the sidewall 136 being about 1-cm in width. The
foxing tape 116 is attached to the article of footwear 110 in
generally the same way as the first embodiment, but with the tread
portion 138 generally coextending with the peripheral surface 122
of the sole 114 and the sidewall 136 generally coextending with a
lower portion 126 of the upper 112.
[0027] While the preferred embodiments of the present invention
have been shown and described, it is to be understood that these
are merely examples for practicing the invention that the inventor
foresees at the present time, and that various modifications and
changes could be made thereto.
* * * * *